The Church of Tzaddi was founded by Bishop Amy Kees and her daughter, Bishop Dorothe Blackmere, who both passed into Spirit in 2012. The legal name of our organization is The Bishop of the Church of Tzaddi. It was founded in California on June 23, 1964.
Founding Bishop Amy was a Bible scholar and a student of many esoteric traditions. She studied with the Universal Church of the Master, the International Order of St. Luke the Physician, and she attended seminary with Unity Church. A few weeks prior to graduation as a Unity minister, Spirit guided Bishop Amy to start her own church, which became Tzaddi.
As she was praying, reading, and meditating on what to call the organization that Spirit had guided her to create, she looked down and saw that the Hebrew letter “T” or Tzaddi was the heading on a Bible verse open in front of her.
Tzaddi (also spelled Tzadi or Tsade) is the 18th letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Scholars feel it represents “righteousness” or a righteous person (tzaddik or tzadik).
According to Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, the most special thing about a tzaddik is that he/she/they really are the most human of human beings. “A tzaddik is one in whom we see our true selves, who allows us to realize that each one of us is essentially divine. And so, just by being there, but especially by our bonding with them, they connect us to the God who breathes within each one of us.”
Founding Bishop Amy named the church Tzaddi because it reflected the vibration of the organization she was creating. She felt that we are all capable of being correct and just, and we are all called to the task of spiritual development so we can hold and transmit the light and love of Spirit for the benefit of others and for our own maturation and growth.
Learn more about the Tzaddi name and its link to the church here.
Learn how Tzaddi fits into world spiritual traditions/lineages and follows the pattern of personal revelations here.